Mountain News

Not exactly. Chilly temperatures have nothing to do with respiratory viral ailments, say scientists. Anybody who spends lots of time in the outdoors probably knows this. But why do we more commonly have colds in winter?

The theory most widely accepted by disease trackers, reports The Boston Globe, is that because cold weather keeps most people inside more, cold viruses find fertile ground in places such as schools, day-care centres, even holiday parties. Kids are particularly good at this transmission, and then they take the viruses home to mom and dad, who then take them to work.

Counter-intuitively, a backcountry ski guide is the least likely person to be hacking.

Heavenly off-roader gets 3 months in county clink

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.  A 21-year-old who got his Toyota pickup stuck in what the Tahoe Daily Tribune describes as a stream environmental zone at Heavenly Mountain Resort last summer has been sentenced to three months in jail. In addition, he has been ordered to pay Heavenly $6,366 in restitution for the damage.

The man was apprehended by ski area officials when he was using his Isuzu Rodeo to fish his pickup out of the stream.

Architects win awards for unused housing design

ASPEN, Colo.  Youve no doubt heard the expression that no man is a prophet in his own land. That seems to be the story in Aspen, where Studio B Architects proposed a design for a 39-unit affordable housing project. The city council chose the design by another architectural firm, but Studio Bs design won three architectural design awards, including the top award from the American Institute of Architects.

Studio Bs design emphasized affordability by minimizing disturbance of the sagebrush environment through low-excavation costs, reported The Aspen Times, while focusing on "livability" by providing each unit with at least one opening onto a rooftop garden, terrace, or courtyard.

Man dies of cocaine overdose in Jackson

JACKSON, Wyo.  A 25-year-old man died of what authorities said was a cocaine overdose. The Jackson Hole News & Guide says that police believe the victim, Enrique Sanchez Morales, of Mexico, was not a dealer, and that the cocaine found at the scene was intended for his own use.

Get graffiti off walls quick, or itll return

CANMORE, Alberta  Some of it is art, but when painting on walls is done without permission it is always graffiti. And to prevent graffiti from spreading, police say get rid of it as soon as you find it.